Ambulance: Episode 6 (BBC One Thursday 28 September 2023)

Ambulance: Episode 6 airs Thursday 28 September 2023 on BBC One

What can we expect from this episode

On this Thursday, as the North West Ambulance Service begins a new 12-hour shift, junior doctors across the NHS have gone on strike. There is nervous anticipation in the ambulance control centre as the shift begins, as hundreds of hospital appointments and non-urgent operations have been cancelled.

Since the ambulance service has the option to prioritise certain calls, when a 999 is placed reporting an accident on a busy road, senior paramedic Aiden is sent to the scene immediately. Aiden helps the fire department free the patient from the car after giving them pain medication.

Priority is given to Jess and Abi because they are the nearest crew to a patient in Stockport who is experiencing chest pains. The crew learns upon arrival that the patient has cerebral palsy and has relied on the NHS for treatment her entire life. She regards the service with the utmost gratitude for the help it has given her.

A call comes in for another RTC involving a car and lorry while the complex incident hub team is already handling 25 ongoing category 1 calls and only one advanced paramedic is available to respond across the north west. Aiden, a senior paramedic, is among the many resources sent to the scene. A 39-year-old male patient who severely injured himself is the subject of multiple calls for another RTC. Mandy and Sam, two of the crew’s members, have been sent to the scene, where they’ll be joined by a more experienced paramedic. After taking stock of the patient’s injuries, the crew calls for a HEMS doctor’s assistance in administering cutting-edge pain medication.

Jess and Abi are dispatched to a category A call in south Manchester, where a 30-year-old man is having a seizure in the street. This is yet another category 1 alert. The patient reveals his struggles in securing an accommodating position after a recent diagnosis of epilepsy.

The North West Ambulance Service has just begun a new 12-hour shift. Workers in the NHS, such as paramedics and nurses, are currently not on strike but awaiting the results of a ballot on whether to accept or reject the government’s most recent pay offer. Sam and Danny have been dispatched to a 65-year-old man who was involved in an RTC while driving home from the grocery store with his groceries.

The cancer patient Jess and Abi are sent to care for is the same age as Jess’s own mother, who is also ill with the disease. The patient is overcome with emotion as she tells the crew about her ordeal with cancer upon their arrival. Jess uses her own life experiences to reassure the patient and praise her for her courage. During her time at work, Jess has been thinking about how the care paramedics gave her mother influencing her own approach to helping others.

Aiden, a senior paramedic, is called to assist a 57-year-old man who has gone into cardiac arrest. The patient’s loved ones watch helplessly as Aiden and the team make repeated attempts to revive their loved one.

Reactions to the announcement that Unison, the largest NHS union, has accepted the government’s pay offer are mixed. The offer includes a 5% rise and a lump sum for lower-paid workers. While some are relieved to finally have the money they need to pay their bills, others are dissatisfied because not all of their demands were met.

This episode was shot during a period of great unpredictability within the NHS, and it serves to highlight the vital role played by the ambulance service in saving lives and providing the best care possible, even when others within the NHS are on strike. From the front lines to the picket lines, we see the real story behind the sirens, from those in immediate need of life-saving interventions to those who have relied on the NHS for their entire lives.

Ambulance is a BAFTA winning documentary series giving exclusive insight into how the ambulance service functions amidst the huge challenges it faces. The series meets the people working day in and day out, from paramedics to 999 call operators, to keep on top of the pressure and provide emergency care to the public.

Season 11 Episode 6

When can we see the episode

Ambulance: Episode 6 airs Thursday 28 September 2023 at 21:00 on BBC One

Featured image credit: BBC One